Rick Barnes disappointed with lack of consistency from Tennessee

This season has been a run of streaks for Tennessee. After starting off the year with four straight wins, Rick Barnes saw his team drop three in a row. Now, they are back to winning ways, with Tuesday night against Georgia Southern being the third consecutive victory.

Consistency has not fully been there for the Vols, something Barnes is disappointed with — especially with some of the veteran presence Tennessee has on the roster. Even against a winless Georgia Southern, Barnes was not impressed with how they played in the second half following a good first half.

“As many games as our older guys have played, it’s disappointing,” Barnes said. “Because we believe in them, we have confidence. But they’ve got it to do it. It’s not about making shots, it’s about playing good basketball. Defensively, we were terrible in the second half.”

Georgia Southern wound up outscoring Tennessee by 10 in the second half. Barnes wants to see a complete 40 minutes of basketball despite there never really being a threat of losing on Tuesday. It might not cost them against the Eagles but certainly will when getting into the thick of SEC play.

Barnes believes it could be a mentality thing. He wants the players to respect themselves and step up to the occasion, no matter the scenario. Whether Georgia Southern is on the other side or it’s Kentucky, Tennessee needs to be ready to play.

“We really did the one thing that I think is a major flaw when you’re inconsistent — you don’t respect yourself,” Barnes said. “Say ‘This is a chance to come out, get better.’ Everybody talks about respecting their opponent, I think you ought to have great respect for yourself every night.

“You do that by the way you handle the game and do what you need to do. When you don’t do that, it gets back to you what you put into it.”

NC State will be next up on Saturday, another test against a major conference opponent. Two easier nonconference games will follow before beginning play against the SEC. A home opener against Ole Miss before going on the road to Starkville and Athens.

Tennessee was the preseason favorite to win the conference. Barnes knows his team will have to get on a more consistent path in order to fulfill expectations. He will continue to look at veteran leadership to solve the issue.